


3 Choices, or Just 1

by iLoveFrenchies12



Series: Hermitcraft [2]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, College AU, Fluff, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25595509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iLoveFrenchies12/pseuds/iLoveFrenchies12
Summary: Grian meets Tango, Impulse and Zedaph in 3 different places, not realizing the 3 of them were together. And he falls for all 3 of them, but doesn't think he's good enough. Will he run from his feelings?When Tango, Impulse and Zedaph all realize they guys they've been pinning for, are the same person. Can they convince Grian to join their group?
Relationships: Mumbo Jumbo/Iskall85, Tango Tek/ImpulseSV/Zedaph, Tango Tek/ImpulseSV/Zedaph/Grian
Series: Hermitcraft [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847350
Comments: 10
Kudos: 171





	1. Chapter 1

Grian smiles as he opens the door, letting the smell of coffee wash over him. His favorite thing to do whenever he got up in the morning before he rushed off to class was stop at the corner coffee shop outside of campus and then bike to the Math building. The first time he walked into the shop, his friends and him were driving around the area around the campus, getting used to the layout. When Grian first saw it, he forced his friends to stop the car and come in with him. Even when they protested, he told them it could be the best coffee they ever tasted. And he wasn’t wrong, Grian could tell when he took his first taste of his iced coffee, that he was going to be coming back to this shop many more times.

The summer before his junior year, his friends Iskall and Mumbo were thinking about renting an apartment, but they needed a 3rd person to room with them, so they asked Grian. Mumbo and Grian were long term friends, who met in high school and ended up in different dorm rooms. That's how Mumbo and Iskall met, they became inseparable after dorming together and both pursuing computer science together. Grian on the other hand roomed with Scar for the first 2 years, this year though he was rooming with his friend Cub. So of course he agreed to share an apartment with Mumbo and Iskall. First because he didn’t want to room in a dorm as a junior and he didn’t want to get a new dorm mate. 

When Grian first saw it, he thought it was the perfect size, when you walked in, you were greeted with an open space on the left and 2 doors on the right. The open space was a living room that was connected to a kitchen bar, behind that was some counter tops, a fridge to the right , stove and on the left wall there was a sink and a dishwasher. In the space between the kitchen and the living room there was a small door that led to the bathroom. The two doors on the left led to two bedrooms, Since there were only 2 rooms, one person got a room to themselves. Mumbo and Iskall agreed that Grian should get it. But the best part about this apartment was the fact that the coffee shop was on a direct path.

The shop was empty as he entered it, he always came right when it opened at 5:45, because he went in early to take extra classes and most people had their coffee and classes later. He made his way over to the counter to meet face to face with Tango. 

“Let me guess, a grande iced coffee with a pinch of sugar and a splash of cream?”

“ And that price is 5.49, taxes raising the price to 6.37? Here’s $7, keep the change.” Grian winked and he handed over the three bills and walked over to where he would pick up the drink. Tango laughed and Grian felt his heart flutter at the sound.

“Anything interesting happening today?”

“Other than a test and more studying later today, nothing. What about you?”

“I’m meeting up with my boyfriends, it’s been a while. One sleeps in because he works and has classes in the evenings and the other has classes in the mornings and then works in the afternoons. As for me I work in the mornings and then have classes later. So it’s hard to find a time where we can all be together.”

“Really?! That sounds nice for the three of you to hang out. My friends that I live with are dating and even though I enjoy hanging out with them, I like giving them time to be together, it’s sweet to see them together. Though, I bet you and your boyfriends are adorable together.” Grian replied giggling.

“What about you though anyone in your life?”

“Nah, I’m not really in a position to date anyone right now. Unless you’re offering?”

“You know what, that sounds like fun,” Tango says, giving the cup to Grain. “Here you go, don’t stay up too late thinking about me,” Tango says, smirking.

“Don’t worry I won’t, say hi to your boyfriends for me,” Grian replies, waving his hand as he exited the shop. Placing the coffee cup into its spot on his bike, he continued on his way heading to his first classe in the math building. He always likes leaving his apartment early, in case he wants to chat with Tango a bit. He hadn’t even realized how he started to wake up even earlier than he used to, before he always made a quick stop in and out of the shop, so he could get to class on time. When he had started to leave earlier to have more time with Tango, before he had to leave. Honesty he loved the playful flirting when they saw each other. The way Tango's tone made his heart flutter and his breath shorten. The earlier comment made his face redden, of course Tango made it as a joke, but Grian could feel himself falling. The what ifs flowed through his mind and he scolded himself for thinking like that but he was falling, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

When Grian arrived at 6:20, he was happy to see that the door was open, since the class didn’t start until 6:30. Inside he saw a familiar blond, and walked up behind him. 

“Boo” Grian whispered in his ear.

“Aah!” Zedaph turned in his seat to face him, Grian started giggling at the way Zedaph was looking at home. “You are trouble, that’s it. You nearly scared me half to death.”

“Your… your face. It was hilarious, I can’t believe I got you again.” Grain says between gasps of air, as he was trying to stop laughing.

“Haha, very funny,” Zedaph replies. “You should go find yourself a new partner if you're going to continue to make fun of this one.”

Grian watches Zedaph cross his arms and make his face into a fake pout. “But no one is a better partner then you. Who could I be with if none of them matched up to your amazingness?”

“You’re right of course, I guess I’ll let you stay for now, only because I like when you sing my praises.”

“I’ll sing all your praises, including your worst ones,” Grian grins as he sits down next to Zedaph.

“Hey,” Zedaph protests, as Grian starts laughing again.

Out of all his classes, his favorite was this one, morning classes have a lower attendance so less students. Plus, this was his fun class of the day. Learning calculus, geometry, algebra, physics, computer science and art were great but this class allowed him to spread most of his creative juices. That’s why Zedaph and him clicked the moment they met. Zedaph might do more technical creative things and he might do more blueprint creative things, together they made a great match. Every class always passed so quickly, since each class made them think of new and different ways to do different things, using math of course.

Grian and Zedaph walk out of the class together, chattering about the fun things they did.

“Hey Zedaph, we should hang out sometime.”

“That sounds amazing, I would suggest today, but I’m meeting up with my boyfriends later to hang out.”

“No worries, say hello for your boyfriends for me.” 

“Of course, see you later,” Zedaph says, heading towards his next class.

“See ya!”

Grian smiles as he watches Zedaph walk away before leaving himself to go to his next class. He already missed his sweet laughter and teasing tone, everyday was a fun day with Zedaph. He couldn’t imagine his life without him, he pauses for a second, when did he start thinking like that about Zedaph, he knows he’s dating 2 other guys. But he couldn’t deny the way he felt about him, he loved the teasing and goofing around. It allowed him to act playful and have fun. He couldn’t even try to do what Zedaph suggested, he was right earlier, no one could compare to Zedaph when they worked together on a project. But there’s no way Zedaph would fall for him, he’s too sweet to even think about someone other than his boyfriends. 

The rest of his day was spent contemplating his life choices and of course school. After a quick lunch, and 1 more class, he was excited to visit the library. He had some books he needed to study plus he needed to return a book he finished in his free time. He quickly went over to the return area and then scanned the library. Finding his target, he walked over and sat across from someone reading and taking notes. After placing his notes and books on the table he looked up to see a glowing Impulse.

“Hey Impulse, did something happen that made you look like you won the lottery.” Grian whispered.

“I didn’t win the lottery, but I did see my boyfriends today, for something other than homework. It was nice for all of us to go out for a walk and a picnic lunch. Without anyone having to rush off to classes or work.”

“That sounds amazing, I’m happy that you got to hang out for once, from what I’ve heard you guys all have busy schedules. Did you pack the sandwiches?”

“Yeah, both have either school or work in the morning, so I did. But I think we both know, they just like it when I make food for them. Out of all of us I make the best food. What about you, anything interesting happen?”

“Nothing interesting, though I did finish that book you recommended. It was really good, maybe you can recommend something else before you leave. But, now I have to study for a physics test.”

“Sounds good, let me know if you need any help.”

Grian and Impulse fell into a comfortable silence, as both of them took notes, read books and studied. Surprisingly Impulse was the one to approach Grian. Grian was trying a book out for fun and Impulse happened to see the title and introduce himself. Starting their relationship, in the afternoon if they could, they would scan the library for the other’s familiar face. Impulse would recommend books for Grian and help him when needed. And Grian was a wonderful companion, giving ideas to Impulse if he got stuck. They were a silent pair, finding balance in the calm between them. Content with their studying and reading, and of course each other.

As Impulse was getting ready to leave, Grian also packed his things up as well. Impulse led to a seclusive part of the library and Grian felt heat rush into his face.

Impulse pointed to an author and whispered “try some of these books and let me know what you think tomorrow. I have work now but we should hang out sometime outside of this library. I know a really nice coffee place we can read at.”

“That sounds amazing, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good time at work.”

After watching Impulse's retreating figure, Grian looked at the books and chose 2 to check out. After checking out his 2 bikes, he placed his extra books that he couldn’t fit in his backpack in the back basket type thing on his bike. He was excited to read the books and even more excited to hang out with Impulse. He was so hardworking, patient and caring. Every time they hung out, Impulse was so kind.. His boyfriends must really love him, like him. Grian stopped pedaling for a second, before swerving to miss the curb. Did he really love Impulse? He thinks he does, everything he feels leads him to that conclusion. What to do now? He might loves 3 different guys, who are all dating other people. There’s now way this could work out.

Grian almost missed his apartment, he was so lost though. He parked his bike, grabbed his books and went inside. Mumbo and Iskall were on the couch watching TV when Grian entered, he placed his books on the counter and his bag on a chair. Before groaning and plopping himself on the couch opposite of them.

“Bad day?” Mumbo asked.

“My day was good, but I have a question how do you 2 know you liked each other?” Grian said.

“I guess, I kinda just knew. Iskall and I hit it off right away and I would always get a flutter in my heart when I saw him or heard him laugh.”

“Awww that’s so sweet Mumby. I feel in love with you after I saw how your face lit up when you got your first thing to work and listened to how passionate you were about the projects you were doing.”

“Hmmm…”

“Grian is there someone you need to tell us about?”

“Not someone,” Grian mumbled, “someones.”

“Oooh, who are they? Tell me everything, don’t let it build up, I’ve known you for 10 years, I know how you are.”

“Okay, okay settle down, I’ll tell you, though it’s a bit complicated. So first of all there’s this guy that works in the coffee shop, that always works in the mornings. And we flirt all the time, it might be a little crush, but even if it doesn’t work out I still want to maybe try going on a date. I love his laugh and when we flirt it’s nice you know? The playful compliments and joking around makes me feel giddy, kinda like you guys. But then there’s this guy in my first class, who’s so funny. Every interaction leads me to have a smile on my face. I don’t think I have ever smiled and laughed with anyone else. Other than maybe you too. But he’s also so sweet and when we work together we always bring the best out of each other. And then I meet up with a guy after all my classes, we sit in the library together quietly studying or reading. He’s so smart and focused in his studies, he motivates me to study hard. Also he’s really sweet as well, he helps me with my work> And he’s the one who got me to start reading again.”

“Awwww, Grian has found himself someone.”

“I’m happy for you, I like all of your choices and think you should give them a shot. Maybe go on a date with each of them and see if you like them.”

“I would do that Mumbo, I would have a while ago, but each one of them has 2 other boyfriends. And they love their boyfriends so much, every time I hear the way they talk about them I wish that I was in relationships as sweet as theirs. It’s nice to see all of them happy, ugg I guess that shows how much I like each of them. But the thing is I don’t even know how they would feel to have another person join each of their relationships.”

“Grian you should just ask them if they're open to go on a date, I can hear the way that you speak about each of them. I just feel that you’re going to regret it, if you don’t try and see if they want to go out.”

“Iskall’s right, even if they’re not into it, at least you tried instead of wondering about it for the rest of your life.”

“You guys are right, I’ll never know how they feel if I don’t ask. Out of all of them I think Tango would maybe be the most open, or maybe Zedaph. I’m going to see how it goes and hope for the best.”

“You got this Grian.”

“Thanks, you guys are the best.”


	2. Chapter 2

Tango was so excited for his date with his boyfriends. After work and a class, he left campus to go to a nearby park. When he arrived he saw that Zedaph was already there, laughing about something on his phone. So he quickly left his car and jumped up on him.

“Aaah!”

“Heheh,” Tango snickered at his boyfriend as he turned around.

“For goodness sake, what is with people and scaring me today.”

“Ah man, who scared you before I could? Where's Impulse I’m sure he would want to know as well,” Tango asked, grinning as Zedaph blushed.

“Hey you guys, sorry I’m a bit late,” Impulse said as he ran towards them. Then noticing Zedaph’s bright red face, he chuckled and asked “Tango what happened to Zedaph’s face?”

“I was just about to ask about that, Zedaph?”

“There’s this guy in my class who I clicked with immediately at the beginning of this semester. He’s really funny, he was the one who scared me this morning and…well… I don’t want you to think badly of me.”

“Zed-“

“Or think I don’t love you...”

“Zedaph.”

“Because I really do and I don’t think I could take it if you hated me…”

“Zedaph!”

“Sorry, I was ranting a little bit, but…”

“Zedaph, you can tell us anything. I’m sure Tango would agree that whatever you say won’t make us hate you, okay. Take deep breaths in and out, there you go.” Impulse gave Zedaph and rubbed his back.

“Impulse is a right, anything you say to us won’t make us hate you, we love you and if you need to say something, you should do it.”

After taking a couple of deep breaths Zedaph said “we haven’t talked about this before, but I wanttoknowhowyouwouldfeelaboutusdatingotherpeople?”

“Zedaph, a bit slower please.”

“How would you guys feel about us dating other people?” Zedaph lowered his eyes a bit as his face burned bright.

“Honestly I’ve kinda been wanting to ask you the same thing. I kinda, maybe found a guy who I think is cute, but I didn’t know how to tell you guys,” Tango admitted.

“I guess since all the confessions are coming out, I also have a guy I hang out with. You guys don’t really notice since I met up with him in the library and we study together.

“How is this going to work, should we all go on separate dates with them and then we have a relationship outside of this one or should we introduce them to each other and see how we like it-”

“I like that one, we could see if all of them are available tomorrow or something, that way we could all meet them at one time. I’m so excited for you to meet him, though he might just be interested in a one time type thing. Honestly with all the flirting we’ve been doing at 6am in the morning is impressive. I could imagine him going to bars and flirting with everyone.”

“I also like that idea as well, although you can’t be over the top with him. The guy I kinda like is shy and quiet, but he’s really smart and not afraid to ask for the help. It just makes me feel happy to help him out. Plus he loves reading, unlike you too, so I would enjoy having a reading buddy.”

“I’m really happy all of you are on board and I’m excited for you to meet my friend. He’s really goofy and funny and an amazing person to be around. His laugh is infectious, you guys are going to love him, plus he’s very creative and we work really well together.”

“This is going to be an amazing time, I’m going to ask my guy out tomorrow, even though I’m going to see him later today. That way you guys can ask your friends out on the same day.”

“Sounds good Impulse, I can’t wait for class tomorrow. Say what did you bring for lunch, I’m starving.”

After lunch, they all went off to school or work, to finish off their days. When Impulse got home late that night, he smiled to see Tango and Zedaph already asleep on the bed. He quickly changed and hopped into bed beside them. Before snuggling close and drifting off to sleep with the promise of new more than just friends, around the corner. Tango woke with a start and crept out of bed, smiling at his boyfriends asleep on the bed. He got dressed and whispered a quick goodbye, before heading to the coffee shop. He walked in and turned on the lights, before starting the coffee grinder and other machines. Then he put down all the furniture and whipped everything down. Before making himself some coffee, letting the room soak it up and spread around. Now he was just waiting for Grian to arrive. 

The door jingled to announce the arrival of Grian, as he entered. Tango couldn’t help but smile, he knew that he was going to fit perfectly into their little group. 

“Hello!” Grian said, smiling.

“Hey, getting the usual?” Tango asked, starting to get nervous. 

“Yeah, have I have something to ask though.”

“So do I,” Tango said as he started to make Grian’s coffee.

“You go first,” Grian prompted.  
“Are you still up for going on a date?”

“Are you asking me out?” Grian asked, smirking. 

“I guess I am, are you free later today?” Tango smirked back. 

“Yeah, what about lunch?”

“Sure!” Tango handed Grian his coffee. 

“Wait,” Grian frowned, dropping the act “Your boyfriends are okay with us going out right?”

“Yeah, we are all bringing a friend. Are you okay with meeting them today?”

The word friend stung a bit, but Grian nodded and said “I’m up for that.”

“Sounds great,” Tango smiled and waved as Grian left the shot.

Before smiling to himself and sending a quick text to their group chat saying that his friend could come and they we meeting for lunch. And then started working again, with a skip in his step.

Zedaph was waiting in his seat, fiddling with his pencil and thinking about how he was going to ask Grian out. He checked his text messages and saw that Tango had asked his friend out. So that motivated him to just get up and do it.

“Hello Zedaph!” Grian said brightly, with a smile on his face.

“Hi Grian, ready to work?”

“Yeah, I’m excited about the project, what about you? How was the date?”

“It was really fun, I was wondering if you would like to hang out today with my boyfriends and I?”

“Oh, I’m sorry I can’t today, would tomorrow work?”

“I would have to check, but I think we’re all going to be free.”

“Aww, that sounds amazing, I can’t wait to hang out with you and meet your boyfriends!”

Zedaph smiled and sent a quick chat to the group saying that his friend couldn’t come today, but would be available tomorrow. Impulse texted back saying that he wouldn’t be seeing his friend until after they got together, so instead he was going to ask his friend to come tomorrow as well. Tango then texted saying “I guess only my friend is going to meet us, I hope he isn’t intimidated.”

Grian and Zedaph said their goodbyes, and Grian went onto his next class. Tango had texted him earlier sending him the address to the restaurant they were going to meet at. The whole next class his emotions were all over the place, he was excited to meet Tango’s boyfriends but was also really nervous. ndd he felt bad about not being able to hang out with Zedaph later today. But soon his class was over and it was around 12. He was planning on meeting them at 12:30, since everyone had different things that ended at different times. So he chose to just head over to the restaurant, biking would take him about 15 minutes anyways.

He peddled up to the bike rack and as he was locking his bike up, he heard someone calling his name.

“Hi Grian.”

He turned around, saw Impulse walking up to him and smiled “Oh hey Impulse how are you?” 

“I’m good, are you here to eat as well?”

“Yeah, I’m meeting up with a friend, what about you?”

“I’m meeting up with my boyfriends and one of their friends.”

“Aww, that sounds like fun. I’ve never been here before, do you have any recommendations?”

“Ummm, I mean I’ve been here a lot, since we like this place and it’s cheap. But I think, anything you get will be good, just avoid the mushrooms, they’re a bit slimy.”

Grian laughed, “sounds good, I’ll make sure to avoid the mushrooms at all costs.”

“You know, maybe you and your friend could join us if you wanted. The more the merrier, right?”

“Hey Grian!” Grian turned around and waved at Tango walking up to them. “Hi Tango.”

“Tango?” Impulse asked, looking at his boyfriend.

“Do you guys know each other or something?” Grian tensed up, he hoped that the two weren’t enemies.

“Grian, this is Impulse my boyfriend, although I think you two already know each other.”

“Yeah, we met in the library at the beginning of this school year. I can’t believe I never realized you guys were dating. I don’t think I ever asked what their names were.”

“And I guess we never told each other your names,” Impulse said laughing. 

“Let me guess Zedaph is the guy we’re waiting for?” Grian said giggling.

“Wait you know Zedaph?” Tango asked.

“Really? I knew all of you, but never realized that you guys were together? I can’t believe that I didn’t put all of you together.” Grian sighed, shaking his head.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” Zedaph said, jogging up to them. 

“We’re all here, let’s go.”

“Wait, Grian, you know them?”

“Yeah, turns out we were talking about the same guy all along.” Tango said laughing.

They all walked in and Grian found himself starting to feel warm. He couldn’t believe that all the guys he liked were together. Maybe there was a chance, but also they’re so perfect together. They might be interested in knowing him but they probably just want to stay friends and not be anything more. They’ve been together for a long time and he‘d just met them this year. Besides it’s not like they would like him in that way. But imagine how great it would be if-.

“Grian we’re here.”

“Hehe sorry, I was lost in thought.”

They all sat down and during their lunch, Grian couldn’t help but notice all the little details. They were sitting at a corner booth table, with Grian at the left end, Tango next to him, Zedaph in the middle and then Impulse in the right end. Grian felt it was painfully aware that they were together and he was the third wheel. Each of them knew exactly what they wanted to order, while Grian was still looking. They seemed to know the people at the restaurant as much as the workers knew them and to be honest he felt a bit left out. How Impulse pulled Zedaph closer to him, Tango teasing Impulse about what he chose to eat, Zedaph slinging his arms around Tango and Impulse and pulling them close together. Of course they were nice and included him in their conversation. He learned things about the other 3 that he wouldn’t have learned about if he hadn't come. They laughed and talked, but he couldn’t help but feel awkward, like he really wasn’t supposed to be there.

By the end of lunch, he made a quick excuse, about having to go back to class and told Impulse he couldn’t make it to the library. Saying goodbye to the three, before quickly leaving, telling himself, it’s better to leave them together, then to stay and enforce himself on them. Well that’s what he told himself as he walked away and for the remainder of the day. Honesty, he couldn’t even think about dating any of them after this date. No his crush didn’t go away from going out to lunch with them, in fact it made it stronger. But seeing them all together, made him realize, he liked them too much, for him to try and join. Their bond was so strong, compared to what he had with them. If they were dating other people, he would maybe be open to having a relationship.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he went back to his apartment. When he walked in, he saw the expected faces of Mumbo and Iskall. Before shaking his head and saying “I was asked out by Tango, the guy that worked at the coffee shop, then by Zedaph who I was going to hang out with tomorrow. But when I went to a restaurant to meet Tango, I ran into Impulse, then Tango showed up and I then realized that Tango, Impulse and Zedaph were all dating together. I couldn’t believe that I had missed the fact they were all dating each other. How many people have 2 other boyfriends. But I don’t think I like them anymore, after 1 date, I think I’m better off just being their friend.”

“What makes you say that? I mean Zedaph and Tango wouldn't have asked you out if they didn’t like you.”

“I don’t really think they thought of it as a date, more like a hang out. Probably because we talked about it the day before, and thought since they were free, they might as well see if I was free too.”

“But what about the fact that all 3 of them were there. If Tango really wanted to hang out, why would he invite Zedaph and Impulse to meet you. It kinda seems like Tango was interested in you, so he wanted you to meet them in a comfortable setting. Then they could see if they liked or approved of you.”

“I mean I guess that could be the case, but after watching them today interact and before today listening to them rave about their boyfriends. As I can think right now is how cute they are together. Honestly, their relationship is so balanced and I don’t want to ruin it. I appreciate their relationships with me too much to be part of theirs.”

“But I still think you should talk to them and at least ask if their interested”

“I don’t think I like them, I’m sorry Mumbo. It might have just been a spur of a moment type thing, but in reality we’re better off friends.”

“If you really think so, we’ll support you, right Mumbo?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I just thought that this was the day.”

“It's okay, thanks for worrying about me though. You’re a great friend although, you’re quite noisy sometimes,” Grian snickered as Mumbo turned red, and quickly went to his bedroom. Listening for Mumbo’s “GRIAN.”

The 2 sat in the living room for a while after Grian disappeared into his room. Mambo leaned into Iskall and sighed.

“Mumbo, Grian will be fine, he knows how to take care of himself and he doesn’t seem like his wants to let them know.”

“I know, but I can’t help but worry about him, even though he won’t admit it, I think he’s pretty smitten with these 3 guys, based on what he’s said about them. He’s too nice to tell them he likes them, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, so instead he hurts himself. I just hope that he realizes that maybe, they could love him back. Unless one of them makes a move, I don’t know if anything will happen.”

“Well all we can do is support Grian, as he works it out on his own. We can’t force him to tell them and we can’t force them to like him. So as long as Grian is happy, I’m happy.”


	3. Chapter 3

Tango, Impulse and Zedaph did know what they did wrong, Grian almost seemed to be avoiding them. It wasn’t a huge change, only if you would look, you would see the subtle differences. The first couple of days after the out to lunch thing, he became a bit more conserved, he would stop and chat still at the coffee shop, but pretend he needed to get to class. He stopped showing up to class as early as he usually would and pulled back on his joking around. In the library, he was found pouring over his books and taking notes, being more quiet than usually and not picking out books to read for fun. Tango, Impulse and Zedaph all agreed that their feelings for Grian hadn’t changed after the lunch date, in fact it made them grow stronger. But with Grian slowly pulling away, they couldn’t help but feel that Grian didn’t feel the same way.

They all wanted to tell Grian that they liked him, even if he didn’t feel the same way, they thought he deserved to know. It was becoming the end of the semester, and with Grian still in their minds, they wanted to do something special. Usually they went to Tango’s for Christmas, Impulse’s for Thanksgiving and Zedaph’s for Easter, so they were thinking about inviting Grian to come with them to Tango’s. Zedaph popped the question during class after seeing a glance of pain when he mentioned how they had always gone to Tango’s, even before they were dating, and how it was kinda a tradition for the 3 of them to go every year. But Grian said he couldn’t go, he was going with his roommates Mumbo and Iskall, to Mumbo’s for Christmas. Zedaph couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit jealous of Mumbo, after all the 2 had known each other for quite some time. But pushed it off and instead talked with the other 2. Since they were back in square 1, they decided they had to tell Grian after their break was over. If they could find him, that is.

Feeling rejuvenated after the long break, Tango was itching to get back to making coffee and seeing Grian. He started up the coffee shop, unlocking the doors, cleaning the tables, turning the lights on, priming the coffee machines and getting ready for business. His first customer came at 6, and after that a steady stream of people came and went through the store. Tango felt off about something, and it wasn't until the stream of people slowed down, that he then realized Grian hadn't shown up all morning. He texted the group chat asking if Zedaph had seen Grian today and was surprised to get a response back that Zedaph hadn't seen Grian. Tango was worried, and so were others, so they decided to talk about it when they got home later that night.

Zedaph woke after Tango left for work and was excited for the second semester of his class. He walked into class a bit early hoping Grian would show up earlier as well, and they could talk before class started. So he waited and Grian didn't show up. When class ended, he walked up to the teacher and asked “Hey do you know why Grian wasn't here in class?”

“Oh, based on what my attendance sheet says, he's not enrolled in this class for this semester. Apparently, he switched.”

“Do you know who´s class he transferred to?”

“I think he said he was going to the other teacher´ who teaches this class, I´m sorry that's all I know.”

“It’s okay, thanks.”

Zedaph left the room, mind spinning on why Grian was suddenly gone. He looked at his phone and saw a text from Tango asking if he’d seen Grian today. He quickly wrote back saying he didn’t see Grian and had something to say later. Before heading to his next class and wishing time would pass faster.

Impulse couldn’t help but feel disappointed, when Grian didn’t show up to their regular spot in the library. He knew that neither Zed nor Tango had seen Grian today, so it would be weird if he only showed up to see him. But still Grian not showing up, made him worry. He even stayed a bit longer and arrived a bit earlier to make sure he didn’t miss him. When he arrived at him, Zedaph ran up to him and asked “Did he show up?”

“No, he didn’t, but we can’t jump to conclusions, maybe he was sick and couldn’t make it.”

“But when I talked with my teacher, she told me that he left the class and is going to a different class. I hope I didn’t push him away so much that he never wanted to see us again.”

Tango gave Zedaph a hug, “of course Grian isn’t avoiding us because of you. You guys were great friends and he cared for you, I know he did.”

“Grian isn’t mad at you, something probably came up and I’m sure we can ask him when we meet again.”

Or at least that what they said to themselves or each other, in the next couple of days where Grian didn’t show up. Until one day, when a mysterious package at their doorstep. Tango arrived home after a long day of work, school and worrying about not only Grian, but also Zedaph. Out of all of them he was taking the disappearance of Grian the worst, it made the most sense. Tango wanted to go out with Grian because he was cute. And of course he liked his personality and wanted his boyfriends to like them as well. Impulse was a bit closer, but since they mostly studied, they had more of a professional relationship. But Zedaph, Zedaph had a best friends sort of relationship, they spent so much time together, the most out of the 3, since they had class together and the class required them to talk to each other all the time. So when Tango came home that night and heard faint crying, he knew it had something to do with Grian. 

“Zedaph, where are you?” Tango asked softly as he placed his bags on the ground, before slipping off his shoes and walking towards the crying. He walked into their bedroom and saw Zedaph holding something, with an envelope next to him.

“Oh Zed,” Tango walked over to Zedaph and pulled him into his arms. Rubbing his back and whispering into his year, trying to calm him down. Zedaph’s sobs slowly became shallow breaths, as he regained composure.

“I’m sorry for getting you all wet, Zedaph mumbled.

“It’s okay, I can clean it, you are much more important than this silly t-shirt.”

“Thanks Tango.”

“I’m here whenever you need it and Impulse is as well. Don’t ever hesitate in asking us some-.”

“Grian wrote to us.”

“What?”

“I-In the envelope he sent us a letter saying, saying,” Zedaph started crying again and gave Tango the letter he was clutching. Tango opened it and saw:

Tango, Zedaph and Impulse, I’m leaving this letter for you guys, so you can maybe see why I left so quickly. I don’t expect you to understand my reasoning or even forgive me for leaving. But I thought, selfishly, that the only way I could escape is if I run away. I knew I could run away if I did it quickly and at a time where I wouldn’t see you, because seeing you would convince me to stay. But I had to go, I didn’t want to ruin something so pure just because I wanted to be a part of it. Every time I saw you I wanted to join in, I wanted to give you hugs, I wanted to snuggle up with you on the couch, I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to be part of you, so that when others walked by, they would aww at us and wish they had a relationship as beautiful as ours. But I couldn’t keep up with concealing my feelings, I couldn’t keep shoving down the sadness with a smile, taking deep breaths to keep my heartbeat down when I saw you, biting my tongue so I couldn’t let words slip out, words that I wanted to keep locked inside of me. So instead of forcing you to stay with me, I chose to leave, that way I can keep a nice healthy distance from you, so that we stay friends and so I can start to force myself to not care anymore. Care so deeply for you guys, that I would do anything for you, listen to Impulse talk about science and math, things I don’t understand. I would be a guinea pig in any of Zedaph’s experiments, whatever they were, just to see his eyes light up in excitement. I would even go out to bars with Tango, when Impulse and Zedaph refuse to go, even though I hate bars just as much, to make sure Tango gets home safely, so you 2 don’t have to worry. I’m sorry that I disappeared from your life without saying goodbye, I selfishly didn’t want to answer the questions that you would’ve asked. I’m sorry that the only thing you have left of me is this letter, expressing my feelings, that you guys deserved to know about, even if it causes you to hate me. I’m sorry that you became my friends, I caused all of you guys pain because of my feelings. My feelings about you guys aren't as important as your relationship and I never should’ve butt in and tried to take something that wasn’t mine. I hope our time apart allows you to forget about me and continue your lives. Just know that the time I spent with you was the best moments in my life, even though I would trade them all away in a heartbeat, if it would ease the pain, but I can’t and I’m sorry. This is the last time you’ll hear from me, and I know you guys care too much. So please don’t reach out, I don’t want to hurt you anymore then I already have.

Love, Grian

Grian finished up his letter, tears in his eyes as he debated leaving the love or not. He had spent the last couple of hours, trying to word the perfect letter. He didn’t want to leave them nothing and thought they deserved to know, even though he didn’t want to tell them himself. He knew it was selfish to leave without facing the consequences of sending the letter. But let's be honest, he was scared about how they would react and didn’t want to get his heart broken. So he was running away from his feelings, from them. He planned on sending the letter to them a little bit after they got back from Christmas and New Year’s. That way he wouldn’t ruin the holidays for them and they wouldn’t have to worry too much about where he went and why he stopped showing up to the places where he would normally see him and why they couldn’t contact him anymore. 

Mambo walked into his room, as he was finishing up, “Grian, are you sure you want to do this exchange program.”

“Mumbo, we’ve been over this, I want to study abroad. I know it’s sudden and was pushed upon you quickly, but I want you to understand that this has nothing to do with either you or Iskall. I know you think you’ve pushed me away in some way, but this trip has nothing to do with you, but everything to do with me.”

“I know, I’m just concerned about you, you just seemed to just tell me a couple days ago and now you’re leaving.” Mumbo started crying.

“Awww Mumbo, you’ll always be my best friend. I’ll miss you too, you’ve been such a great friend to me and I couldn’t wish for anyone else.” Grain got up, dropping his letter in the process, and gave Mumbo a hug, while starting to cry as well. They pulled away after a couple minutes, relishing in the warmth they gave each other, before they wouldn’t be able to do this anymore.

“Are all your bags packed?”

“Yeah, they are. And yes I have everything packed. I know how you get, but you don’t need to worry about it. I already checked and double checked all the items off of my list by myself. And yesterday you helped me go through my list again. I have everything, in my suitcase, backpack and duffel bag. Besides, anything I forget, you can look after for me, after all I’m only going to be gone for 6 months, I’ll be back before you know it and you’ll miss the days where it was just you and Iskall in an apartment, without me listening in to you’re fun time,” with that statement Grian quirked an eyebrow and snickered as Mumbo’s face turned red.

“You guys ready to go?” Iskall peaked his head through the doorway and saw Mumbo’s tear stained face and red cheeks, with a signature Grian smirk and his tear stained cheeks. “Awww guys don’t cry yet, if you guys start, I won’t be able to stop myself. Besides, we still have a couple more hours together to get to the airport, those can be filled with tears. And Mumbo, honey bun, I’m looking forward to tonight.” Iskall winked at Mumbo and said “I’ll take Grian’s bag to the car, while you guys finish your conversation.” Before walking out of the room, to Mumbo’s growing face.

“Iskall! Don’t encourage him!” He sighed before turning back to Grian’s eyes twinkle in amusement, before realizing how much he’s going to miss the joker and his best friend. Feeling his eyes start to water, Grian pulled him into another hug.

“Aww Mumbo, don’t start crying, you know when you start, Iskall and I can’t help but cry with you.”

“I know, I know, I’m just going to miss you so much.”

“I’m going to miss you and Iskall too, but when I come back we’re going to have so many stories to tell. Besides, I’ll text you so much, that it’s going to be like I was there the entire time.”

They pulled away from each other and headed downstairs to the car. Leaving the letter sitting on the bed, forgotten at the moment. The drop off was swift, they walked Grian into the airport with his bags, and left when Grian passed through security to terminal A Grian walked up to when the flight attendant called his boarding group. After checking his ticket, he went onto the plane, placed his duffle above him and his backpack under the seat. As the plane was lifting off, something didn’t seem quite right. He racked his brain for what he could’ve forgotten. All of his bags were here, unless his suitcase got lost, but he wouldn’t know until he got there. Was there something he forgot to tell Mumbo or Iskall before he left? He didn’t think so, was there anything he forgot in his room? Not clothes, or books or technology. He made his bed before he left, so his room was organized for Mumbo and Iskall. Although it might’ve gotten messed up as he was writing a letter. He stood up straighter in his seat, almost bumping his head. He forgot to send his letter and there was no way he could do anything until he landed, he noted as he looked out the window and saw a sea of clouds beneath him. 

On the way home Mumbo held hands with Iskall, seeking comfort in the feeling. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Iskall, Iskall was his favorite person. But Grian was a close second and even though they didn’t always live together, he still saw him almost everyday. So it’s going to be weird to not see him anymore other than an occasional face time. When they got home, Iskall forced Mumbo to sleep, instead of waiting all night to get a text from Grian saying he arrived. The next morning, he woke up groggy, blindly reaching for his phone. He was happy to see texts from Grian, saying he made it there safely. And Grian asked him to go into his room, take the paper on his bed, slip it into the envelope on his desk and to not read the context. So Mumbo did what Grian asked, but saw there wasn’t a return address, so he carefully wrote his address in the top left corner and sent the letter. Not expecting much from it, since he didn’t read the context like Grian asked. That was until 3 guys showed up asking for someone he couldn’t provide.


	4. Chapter 4

Impulse re-read the letter, it had to be the 12th time he had done it, since he had returned home. After a long day of working and waiting for Grian, he wasn’t expecting his answer to knock at his door. When he entered the house, it wasn’t a surprise for it to be dark for the most part and quiet. On most days they would be asleep by the time he got him, since they had to rush off to things early in the morning. What he wasn’t expecting, was walking into the bedroom and seeing his lovely boyfriend’s faces covered in tear streaks and puffy red eyes. They were sitting close together, Tango had his arm around Zedaph and was laying his head on top of Zedaph. While Zedaph was leaning into Tango and together they were holding a piece of paper. They looked over at him as he entered the room. Impulse went over to them, wrapped his arms around them, pulled them close to him, showing his support and comfort in actions instead of words. He felt them lean into him, and felt Zedaph shaking and Tango’s breathing slow down. He looked over at Tango, as he started to pull away and looked into his eyes. He saw pain, sadness and a bit of anger swirling around, Tango looked at Zedaph, saying something Impulse couldn’t quite decipher. Zedaph wordlessly handed over the piece of paper, that they were reading together, before snuggling closer into Impulse. Impulse looked back at Tango and he gently prodded the paper in his hands, before laying his head on Impulse’s shoulder and wrapping his arm around both Zedaph and Impulse. The first thing Impulse noticed was the scrawled, almost messy handwriting, that belonged to Grian. Then he noticed the paper was already wrinkled, like it had been many times before and it was covered in tear stains, but when he looked closer, some looked older than others, which was strange. He steeled himself before being his eyes up to the first word and began to read.

“Impulse, Impulse,” hé jolted back to reality when he felt someone gently wipe away a tear that was running down his face, he hadn’t even realized he was crying. Someone slowly unclenched his fingers and he looked down in surprise, his hand was crumpling the paper even more than it already was, so he let go of it, grasping onto Tango’s hand instead.

“Grian’s gone,” his voice sounded empty, even to him.

“W-We lost our chance to tell him, he thought we didn’t like him, thought we were better without him and now,” Zedaph started before choking back a sob.

“I wish he had just told us, instead of leaving, running away, hiding his feelings, he should’ve allowed us to make our own choice, not taking it and himself away. I don’t want him to forget about us, or distance himself or leave our lives.”

“Everything he said he would do for us, we would do the same, and he told us that he loves us because he thought we deserved to know, so I think he should know that we love him too. Zedaph, can I see the envelope he sent it to us in?”

“Yeah, here you go,” Zedaph said, having him the forgotten envelope.

“Here! There’s a return address in case it was sent back for some reason. We can go there and see if we can find him and tell him.”

“Why didn’t I think of that? Impulse you’re a genius.” Tango said, jumping onto Impulse knocking him backwards into the bed, wrapping his arms around him. The 3 settled down, hope in their hearts for the day to come. They snuggled closer to each other, falling asleep to each other’s steady breathing and warmth.

It’s been a couple of days since Grian had left, Mumbo was sitting in the kitchen, enjoying his cup of tea and watching Iskall make his pancakes. If both of them had free mornings, with no classes or work, they would try and eat together before rushing off. In the beginning, they had invited Grian to eat with them, but he always declined, instead opting to leave before them and go to a local coffee shop, before going to class or studying or work or anything else he did in the morning. Leaving the mornings for Iskall and Mumbo to do what they wished. So pancakes were a normal occurrence, they switched between who would do the cooking and the cleaning. So it surprised both of them to hear the doorbell at such an hour. Not that it was early, it was 8:30 on the dot, but usually they didn’t get visitors. Mambo left Iskall in the kitchen, and went to the door to open it. Outside stood 3 boys, all college students he assumed. They looked familiar, like he had seen them before, but he couldn’t remember seeing any of them in his classes? Their faces changed from excited but nervous, to relieved but disappointed when Mumbo opened the door. 

“Hello? What can I help you with?” Mumbo asked the trio.

“Sorry to interrupt your morning, but my boyfriends and I were wondering if we could talk to Grian?” the tallest one asked. 

“Mumbo who’s at the door?” Iskall called, finishing up his pancakes and coming over to the door, slinging an arm around Mumbo, pulling him closer towards him.

“They’re looking for Grian.”

“Well I guess it’s better if you come inside then.”

The trio awkwardly sat on the couch, while Iskall finished his pancakes and Mumbo grabbed plates and set the counter with forks and other condiments. Before looking at the 3 and asking “would you guys also like some pancakes? Iskall usually makes extras. Oh right, I guess we didn’t introduce ourselves, I’m Mumbo and this here is Iskall, we’re roommates with Grian.”

The shorter blond winced, “Ah, excuse our manners. My name is Tango, this is Impulse and that’s Zedaph.” Tango first pointed to his left then to his right. 

Mumbo and Iskall settled down opposite of them with their plates, before Mumbo started speaking. “How do you guys know Grian?”

“We all met Grian in a different way, I first met him because we were taking the same class. We clicked right away and kinda became best class friends. Tango met Grian because every morning before he went to class, he would always stop at a local coffee shop Tango worked at, so they became friends through that. While Impulse the most responsible of us used his time with Grian to study in the library.”

“Wait a minute, I think I remember Grian talking about you guys,” Mumbo’s eyes widened in realization, these were the guys that Grian talked about going on lunch date with, but then came home saying that he liked them only as friends. Then again, he made Mumbo send out a personal envelope, which originally didn’t have a return address, until Mumbo added it himself. “How did you know where Grian lived?”

“This might sound weird, but yesterday we received a letter from him, that had some information that we wanted to ask him about. He never told us where he lived, but since the letter had a return address, we kinda decided to show up and ask him ourselves since,” responded Impulse. 

“Wait Mumbo do you who they are?” Iskall searches Mumbo’s eyes, worried because of Mumbo’s questioning 

“Iskall they’re the guys Grian was talking about, the ones we wanted him to talk to, you know?” Iskall slowly nodded his head, as he too slowly realized who they were.

“Grian talked about us?”

“Yeah he did,” Mumbo paused, not quite sure where this was going,these were the guys Grian liked, but he didn’t want to out Grian, if they didn’t feel the same.

“I don’t know what exactly he told you about us, and I don’t know if he still feels the same, but we came here to tell Grian that we love him too, that he didn’t need to distance himself away from us, he didn’t need to ignore us, he didn’t need to leave us. Because we feel the same way.”

“Shhh, Zed, come here,” Tango pulled Zedaph closer to him.

Mumbo’s heart broke for the trio and for Grian, he was almost positive Grian left because he didn’t think he was good enough for these guys. He had to think of a way to break it to them gently, “Guys, Grian isn’t here, he left a couple days ago, a few days before you received his letter. During winter break he decided to take up an offer 1 of his old friends gave him a while ago. It was to study abroad for a semester, his friend lives there and as a highschooler Grian studied there. That’s how they met. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help you more.”

“Where is he studying?”

“Japan.”

“Guys, what do you think about traveling to Japan?”

“I mean I always thought cherry blossoms were a pretty place for a confession.”

“Based on what I have here, we could get on a plane late flight tonight and take a return flight in 3 days. That should give us enough time to get there, find Grian, confess and hope he accepts and feels the same way.”

“Wait are you guys going to Japan?”

“We already waited long enough to tell Grian we like him and if his letter is any indication, he probably feels terrible for liking us. We don’t want to wait for him to return, so we’re going to him.”

“Here’s the address for Grian’s friend’s house and my phone number, in case you need me. Or if you have any questions. I hope you can convince Grian, because he deserves guys like you.”

“Thank you Mumbo, really, if it wasn’t for you, we never would’ve found Grian or realized his feelings.”

Mumbo, dazed a bit about how fast things were going, watched the 3 leave with a new pep in their step, ater saying goodbye, turned to Iskall, with an expression that asked “did that just happen?”

The trio moved swiftly, on the way home, Impulse tapped on his phone, arranging a taxi to pick them up to take them to the airport, a taxi to pick them up from the airport, to a hotel near Grian. While Zedaph and Tango brained stormed what they needed to bring and who would pack what. The taxi dropped them off at their classes, all of them knowing what they were going to do when they got home. The day passed slowly, as each waited in anticipation to go home. Impulse was done first and because he was the most organized he found coworkers to cover their shifts in work and classmates to help them with their work when they got back. Tango and Zedaph arrived around the same time, so they all packed their suitcases together. All of them anxious to get going. Finally, Impulse said the taxi was outside and they grabbed what they needed, turned off the lights and locked the door. Going on the couple hour drive that it took to get to the airport. They arrived, and the security line wasn’t terrible, they had an hour before their flight was going to take off. So to pass time they brainstormed what they were going to say. During the flight, Impulse felt Tango and Zedaph cuddle into him, as they slept. He himself wasn’t too tired, he usually stayed up late, so it wasn’t new. The plane arrived in the middle of the night in Tokyo, Japan. Impulse jolted awake and shoke the others, to make them get up as well. They grabbed their bags from the baggage claim and headed out to the taxi, Impulse had previously ordered and drove to their hotel. 

The 3 collapsed on their shared hotel bed after changing clothes, promising themselves to take showers the next day before falling to sleep. Zedaph woke up, feeling bright sun shining in his eyes, he was squished between 2 hot bodies radiating heat. As he started to sit up, Impulse pulled him closer to himself and snuggled closer, rubbing his nose in Zedaph’s hair. Tango, woken up by the movements, opened his eyes and snickered at Zedaph’s predicament, while Zedaph pouts. He untangles himself, before kissing both Impulse and Zedaph on the head, before walking into the bathroom to take a shower. Zedaph nudges Impulse, but when he doesn’t get a response, he flips himself around so his lips are right up against Impulse’s. He pulls away after Impulse starts to shift his hip for friction, making Impulse let out a groan, before opening his eyes, with a glare. Zedaph whispered something into his ear and soon they were both up and heading towards the bathroom door. After taking a shower and getting dressed, they were ready to go look for Grian. They took the address Mumbo gave them and went in that direction. When they reached the place, they knocked on the door and waited.

Grian tiredly walked into the house he was sharing with his friend for the semester, after a long day of being emotionally and physically exhausted, he was ready to sleep. Today especially because he had to wake up early for class, there was no good coffee near here, then he studied for classes he was taking and then he went to work. But all the time, he had to continue to convince himself, that he made the right choice in leaving and continued to tell himself they were better without him and that he didn’t like them anymore. He was surprised to see a note on his bed, usually his friend would just text or tell Grian something, but it was interesting, the note said {At 7pm tomorrow, meet us at the local Cherry Blossom Tree. Love ZIT} Grian turned the paper around, to see if there was any more information, but saw there was none. He didn’t think his friend would trick him, but wondered who ZIT was. Grian made the decision to go and see, usually people were around, so it wasn’t like he was going to get kidnapped.

The next day, studying went pretty slowly surprisingly. He was actually kinda excited to see what was going to happen. After taking a shower, eating dinner and putting on nice clothes he was ready, he knew that the Cherry Blossom tree were sometimes used for confessions, so if someone was going to ask him out, he wanted to be prepared, the letter even said “Love” in it. The grove was made up of the 4 main paths leading to the center, where there was the Cherry Blossom Tree in the center and other little paths off the main ones. He gasped when he saw one of the centers. It was decorated with candles and little notes hung from branches. He started walking branch to branch reading all the little notes, each one had different handwriting. 

You’re perfect just the way you are. You belong just as much as we do. Our relationship will be as beautiful and pure as you want. We never want to give away the moments we had with you. Your feelings matter as much as ours. We love your real smile, it lights up our days. We don’t want to be apart from you. You never butted your head into our business. Your feelings matter to us. We would do anything for you too. We want to be more than friends too. We want you to know we want to kiss you and wake up in the morning to your snuggles. We love your laugh. We could never hate you. You’re smart, talented, beautiful and creative. You aren’t selfish. Always express yourself. You wouldn’t have ruined anything. We love you. You didn’t have to run away. We could never forget you. Don’t lock us out. You deserve all the hugs in the world. We will stay with you as long as you want. 

He hadn’t realized he had started crying until he read the last note, We forgive you and we understand your reasoning. Because we love you. Grian didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to face them, didn’t want to look.

“Grian look at us please.”

“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.”

“If you never want to see us every again we understand, we just thought you deserved to know.”

“Do you mean it?” Grian asked.

“Mean what?”

“You guys aren’t playing a cruel joke on me?”

“No, we love you Grian and we want you to be part of our group.”

Grin turned around, tears dripping down his face. Impulse, Tango and Zedaph we’re standing before him, also crying. Grian took a running start and launched himself at Impulse wrapping his arms around him. He smiled as he felt Zedaph and Tango wrap their arms around him as well. 

“I love you guys too.”


End file.
